Can Manomet’s forestry approach work in Asia?

Climate Services Director Eric Walberg recently traveled to Taiwan at the invitation of the Hima Foundation to discuss the application of the Climate Smart Land Network (CSLN) in Asia. The trip included a presentation on the CSLN at the Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s national research institute, and a tour of the Lienhuachih Research Center, Taiwan’s national forestry research center.

The Hima Foundation is focused on reforestation as a way to both mitigate climate change by increasing CO₂ uptake by forests, and as an approach to adaptation in semiarid regions in Asia. They are currently working in Taiwan, China, and Tibet. Dr. Wender Yang, Director of the foundation, is interested in improving integration of climate trajectories into decisions on restoration site location and tree species selection. The visit was an opportunity to discuss the approach used by the CSLN in North America and the possibility of employing similar logic in Asia.